Transitions Solutions Team Manager

Job Introduction

We’re looking for an exceptional Transitions Solutions Team Manager to help us make a difference to our planet.

As our Transitions Solutions Team Manager, the job may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in the office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and the location advertised will be your contractual place of work.

Our opportunity is full time, 37 hours per week. Our people are at the heart of what we do and we'll do our best to agree a working pattern that works for everyone.

World changing work

From science to technology, from meteorology to management, and from planning to communication, our expertise helps us stand out as the authority on weather accuracy and climate prediction. We help individuals, industries and government to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive. This is the Met Office. This is who we are.

• We’re a force for good - focusing on our environmental and social impact
• We’re experts by nature - always learning and developing to do things better
• We live and breathe it - putting our purpose at the heart of decision-making
• We’re better together - understanding partnerships and inclusivity make us greater
• We keep evolving - pushing boundaries to make tomorrow better for our customers

Your world of expertise

You will lead a team of engineers and specialists working across a broad range of activities to support the observations networks.  The team includes the calibration lab, stores and the release management, installation design authority and training standards functions, all of which are essential to the smooth running of and the implementation of changes to the observing networks.

Your key duties

• To direct, manage and monitor the delivery of operational services for the team and to ensure the services are delivered to agreed levels of quality and cost and in a safe manner.
• To direct, manage and monitor the delivery of specialist engineering functions of the team and to ensure the services are delivered to agreed levels of quality and cost and in a safe manner. 
• To apply observation domain knowledge and knowledge of specialist engineering processes to the development of work plans for the team and to contribute to the setting of the strategic direction for that area. 
• To act as the authority for changes to existing operational services in QA Lab, Stores and to the specialist engineering functions provided by the team.
• To provide management oversight of relationships with internal and external suppliers and partners to ensure operational service delivery in the team meets customer requirements. 
• To carry out or supervise the operational liaison with internal and external partner or customer organisations.

As one of our team leaders you will support your direct reports to deliver results in their area - your responsibilities would include: 

• To recruit, lead and develop the teams within Transition Solutions and maintain and improve cross team ways of working to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the Transition Solution Functions. 
• Leading and developing the team so that staff reach their potential and have the skills required to deliver the agreed observational services.  
• Working with direct reports to ensure that health, safety and well-being is prioritised to provide a supportive and productive working environment
• Setting team members SMART objectives that ensure delivery of operations and allow staff to evidence Met Office Values 
• Undertaking management training and engagement with people leader training to ensure team members receive support and training. 

Why join us

Our work is life-changing, often life-saving and always life-enhancing. The Met Office is accredited as a 'Great Place to Work UK 2023' and in addition has achieved a place on both the UK's 'Best Workplaces in Tech' and 'Best Workplaces for Women' lists.

As our Transitions Solutions Team Manager your total reward package will be up to £72,530 annually, which includes:

• £52,799 base pay
• An outstanding Civil Service pension, with an average employer contribution of 27%
• Annual Leave starting at 27.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising to 32.5 days (plus Bank Holidays) after 5 years and option to buy or sell up to 5 days per year of annual leave

Essential Criteria, skills and experience:

1. Experience of line management, successfully leading and developing a team to deliver against operational requirements and helping teams through corporate change activities.
2. Keep evolving – a track record of delivering continuous improvements, change activities and/or life-cycle management in a structured way. 
3. Better together – a track record of excellent communication and mediation with suppliers and stakeholders at all levels and of building trusting relationships both within and across teams.
4. Expert by nature – a broad understanding of meteorological principles, and an awareness of different engineering areas.   The ability to apply meteorological and/or engineering insight to maintain and improve our services and systems . 
5. We live and breathe It. Experience of taking ownership of problems, discussing the underlying issues through both within and outside the team, and making appropriate decisions to reach a resolution. 
6. Experience of forecasting, tracking and controlling headcount and spend against budgets using either corporate tools or O365 applications.

Desirable Criteria:

We encourage you to apply if you believe you meet our essential criteria, but we’re also keen to discover if you have:

1. Knowledge of ITIL principles and how they are applied within the Met Office
2. Knowledge of one or more of the following; observing systems, instrument calibration, stores processes.

How to apply

If you share our values, we’d love to hear from you! Click apply to begin your application. Please complete your career history and provide evidence against each of the essential criteria in the supporting statement questionnaire. We recommend candidates use the CARL method (Context, Action, Result and Learning) for presenting evidence of experience and skills

Closing date 20/09/2024 at 23:59 with first stage interviews commencing from 30th September. You will hear from us once the closing date has passed.

How we can help

If you are considering applying and need support to do so, please contact us via careers@metoffice.gov.uk. You can request adjustments either within your application or by contacting us. Should you be offered an interview, please be aware there may be a selection exercise which could include a presentation, written test or a scenario-based activity. You can select in your application to be considered under the Disability Confident Scheme. To be invited to interview/assessment under this scheme, your application must meet the essential criteria for the role.

We understand that great minds don’t always think alike and as an equal opportunities employer we welcome applications from those with all protected characteristics. We recruit on merit, fairness, and open competition in line with the Civil Service Code.

We can only accept applications from those eligible to live and work in the UK - please refer to GOV.UK for information. We require Security clearance, for which you need to have resided in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years to be eligible. You will need to achieve full security clearance within your first 6 months with us.